1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mechanical model simulator, and more specifically to a system, method, program, etc. for simulating the interlock system for the simulator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, the three-dimensional CAD system has been widely used in designing mechanisms of devices. In the three-dimensional CAD system for mechanical design, the shape, size, installation position/relative direction, etc. of each part are set. Normally, there are several moving parts, and it is necessary to check whether or not the moving parts can operate as the designer desires or the moving parts interfere with each other after the assembly of each device. In this connection, with the development of the computer graphics (CG) and simulation technology, the operation of the device can be checked by operating the moving parts by simulation and displaying them on the CG screen without trial production of a device.
FIGS. 1 through 13 show the GUI screen of the three-dimensional CAD system (mechanical model simulator) for the mechanical design and the setting procedure by a user.
First, in the initial state, the three-dimensional shape data (shape, size, relative position, direction, etc.) of each part shown in FIG. 1 has already been generated, and stored in an arbitrary storage area. However, in the initial state, the three-dimensional configuration data shown in FIG. 1 has not been generated. Therefore, in the initial state, each part is only displayed in each position as shown in a three-dimensional CG display area 82 shown on the right in FIG. 2 based on the three-dimensional shape data file (hiki_lever—2_prt˜gear_al_prt) of each part shown in the GUI screen (initial screen) 80 shown in FIG. 2.
In this state, a user, etc. selects one part on which a moving part (joint) is to be set. A file can be selected in the tree graphic display area 81 or a part can be directly specified in the three-dimensional CG display area 82.
Thus, a selected part can be displayed in a three-dimensional CG display area 91 as shown on a GUI screen 90 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 shows the state in which a three-dimensional shape data file ‘hiki_lever—2_prt’ is selected. When a ‘next screen’ button 92 is clicked, control is passed to a GUI screen 100 shown in FIG. 4, and the user specifies the moving part in a part selected on the GUI screen 100. Then, various settings are made. In making the settings, a moving part (in this example, a hole 103) and an axis 104 are set as shown in a three-dimensional CG display area 101 as a result of the settings although not specifically described. Furthermore, although not shown in the attached drawings, the rotation direction, etc. are also set.
When the settings can be completed, a ‘next screen’ button 102 is clicked, control is passed to a GUI screen 110 shown in FIG. 5, and a user selects an installing part (hereinafter referred to as a base part) for the moving part of the above mentioned part on the GUI screen 110. FIG. 5 shows the state in which a three-dimensional shape data file ‘140kadai_ue—2_prt’ is selected.
When a base part is selected, a ‘next screen’ button 111 is clicked, the installation position of the moving part on the base part is set on the screen not shown in the attached drawings, thereby displaying a GUI screen 120 shown in FIG. 6.
Although not shown in detail in the attached drawings, the user selects on the GUI screen 120 the ‘minimum value’ and the ‘maximum value’ which are the setting items of a moving range, and specifies the values, thereby setting the moving range of the moving part (joint) of the base part. The moving range is set in rotation angle centering on the axis of a moving part. Otherwise, for example, when a movement is linear, the moving position can be set.
Then, clicking a ‘completion’ button 121 terminates the setting operation of a moving part. By the setting operation, for example, the information about a moving part can be generated and added as shown in a tree graphic display area 131 of a GUI screen 130 shown in FIG. 7. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the ‘Rotate0017’ which is the setting information such as the installation position, moving direction/range, etc. of the moving part of the part ‘hiki_lever—2_prt’ of the base part ‘140kadai_ue—2_prt’ is added as shown in FIG. 7 (that is, the three-dimensional configuration data and tree structure shown in FIG. 1). The base part ‘140kadai_ue—2_prt’ and the setting information ‘Rotate0017’ are managed as the information about the joint name ‘JoinAsy0016 specified in FIG. 6.
The above mentioned processes are sequentially performed also on other parts, thereby finally storing the part information (three-dimensional shape and position data of each part and the information about the moving parts) in the tree structure indicating the relationship between the base part and its moving part as shown by a GUI screen 140 and a tree graphic display area 141 shown in FIG. 8.
Furthermore, normally, using the above mentioned part information generated and stored in the above mentioned setting operation, the interlock system between each part (drive part) and other parts (subordinately moving parts) interlocked by the operation of the drive part is simulated. The interlocking can also be referred to as relation.
The simulation of the interlock system is described by referring to FIGS. 9 through 13.
First, on a relation type setting screen 150 shown in FIG. 9, a button indicating an arbitrary relation type is selected, Then a ‘next screen’ button 151 is clicked to pass to a relation drive part specification screen 160 shown in FIG. 10. In a three-dimensional CG display area 161 on the relation drive part specification screen 160, all parts except the base part are displayed as shown in FIG. 10 according to the above mentioned part information. In the three-dimensional CG display area 161, the user is prompted to specify the drive part to be defined relating to the interlock system. When the user clicks a ‘next screen’ button 162, control is passed to a subordinately moving part setting screen 170 shown in FIG. 11, and the subordinately moving part interlocked by the drive part is specified. Then, in a relation setting target display area 172 shown in FIG. 11, only the specified drive part and the subordinately moving part are displayed separate from other parts. In this example, the above mentioned ‘hiki_lever—2_prt’ is selected as a drive part, and a substantially circular part is selected as an interlocked subordinately moving part. By clicking a ‘next screen’ button 173, control is passed to the next screen, and the interlock system between the selected drive part and subordinately moving part is defined.
First, a moving range is set on a moving range setting screen 180 shown in FIG. 12. Then, an interlock system is defined in an automatic computation or a manual operation. When the interlock system is set in a manual operation, the user manually makes settings on an interlock system setting screen 190.
Although a moving range has already been set as shown in FIG. 6, it is the moving range of a single drive part of a base part. When a subordinately moving part is interlocked, the moving range is normally reduced. Therefore, the moving range is first set when a drive part interlocks a subordinately moving part, and then the interlock system in the moving range is defined.
First, on the moving range setting screen 180 shown in FIG. 12, the user first moves each part to the initial position in a three-dimensional CG display area 181, clicks a ‘starting point fetch’ button 183, and sets the initial position of each part. Simultaneously, each part is moved to the end position in the three-dimensional CG display area 181, a ‘end point fetch’ button 184 is clicked, and the end position of each part is set, thereby setting a moving range.
When the moving range is set, for example, an interlocking operation is automatically computed using an interference check algorithm to automatically define the interlock system or manually set it.
When a manual setting is made, the user moves a drive part little by little from, for example, the initial position on the interlock system setting screen 190, and manually determines the position of the subordinately moving part corresponding to the position each time the drive part is moved. That is, while moving the subordinately moving part, the correct position of the pin in the groove is to be visually detected (when the position is determined, the ‘fetch’ button is clicked to record the position of the moving part and the position (interlock system) of the subordinately moving part as shown on the right in FIG. 13). The operation is repeatedly performed to define and store the interlock system.
For the user, the display in the three-dimensional CG display area 181 of the moving range setting screen 180 only shows the three-dimensional CG of two parts to be defined in the interlock system. Therefore, it has not been clear based on which these parts operate (where are the moving units), on what binding conditions the operations propagate, what relationship is set with other parts, etc. Furthermore, the operation procedure of setting the relationship between a drive unit and a subordinately moving unit has been complicated.
The descriptions above relates to, for example, the technology of the product (FJVPS/Digital Mockup V10L14a).